Playable Races
Playable Races There are four playable races in Crosshatch, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As of first edition they are Human, Cambion, Nephilim, and Artificial Intelligence. As further expansions and editions are introduced, more playable races will be introduced. 'Humans' Adaptable and clever, humans have thrived for years under the careful eye or eyes of various Deities. Blessed with true freedom of will and the ability to do almost anything they set their minds to, humans are a reliable and flexible race. 'Description' Humans are generally between 5 and 7 feet tall, and can weigh between 45 kg/100 lbs to 135 kg/300 lbs. Hair, skin, and shape vary greatly between location, but due to advances in transportation technology, you can find any kind of human all over the Earth. Advances in medical technology have improved the potential of all humans from birth, regardless of physical appearance or gender. 'Strengths' Humans have no specific strengths when it comes to combat, magic, or technology, but they have access to almost any faction, class, and path combination available. Having a human in the party means that you can rely on them attempting any combination of skills and characteristics with some degree of success. Humans have been on the earth for a long time, and their knowledge of its geography and cultural intricacies are very useful when navigating a foreign location. Many humans serve as guides and information brokers, since a human will likely trust another human before an angel, demon, or robot. 'Weaknesses' A human has a hard time becoming as good at combat as a Cambion, as good at magic as a Niphilim, or as good with technology as an AI. Essentially, a human lacks any strong specialization. This does not preclude a human from becoming good at any one of these things, but they will struggle at the upper levels of their focus, while a more focused race will find the challenges more moderate. 'Cambion' A Cambion is the offspring of a Human and a Demon, mixing the best and worst of both. They are strong and tough people that are quick to anger. Having a Cambion ally means you likely have a incredibly strong ally to call upon in a fight. 'Description' Growing quickly, a Cambion can be between 5'6" and 8' tall, they are ususally heavily built or at least muscular. Some have reddish tint to their skin, others are a dark blue, while many have the normal ranges of human skin tone. Many Cambion grow 2 or more horns on their head, with a few having 4 or more. Some Cambion use these horns for deadly headbutt attacks, while some hide, grind down, or surgically remove them to better fit in with less accepting societies. Having a tail is a common trait, and is approached in a similar fashion to the horns. Some are used as a third manipulating limb, while others are hidden or removed. 'Strengths' A cambion has better Strength and Fortitude than the other races, and are capable of higher levels of desctruction. This makes them excellent soldiers, body guards, bouncers, and athletes, however there are many Cambion that find the pursuits of the mind and magic very lucrative. They find some companionship with Demons and other beings associated with their dark past, but this does not mean that a Cambion must be evil; like humans, they run from both extremes of helpful to harmful. Their demonic blood gives them a resistance to some wounds that would incapacitate a normal person. They make great front line soldiers. 'Weaknesses' Many people find the Cambions' strength and penchant for violence disreputable, or at the very least, too dangerous to make up for their value. They are distrusted by Angels almost as a rule, and find many people associate their brute strength with stupidity. Racism and distrust is a common problem for Cambions in many societies. Their Demonic ancestry makes them suceptible to Angel Tech and rituals or effects that damage or banish demons can affect them to a lesser degree. 'Nephilim' A Nephilim is the offspring of a human and an Angel, taking the best and worst from both their parents. They are skilled at magic and social interactions while still being able to hold their own in a fight. Being friends with a Nephilim means you potentially have access to a magical arsenal. 'Description' A Nephilm is about the same size as a human, although usually a little lighter, due to their bone strucuture. They range from 80 to 200 lbs and are usually between 5 and 7 feet tall. Their facial structure is similar to an angel, with gaunt cheecks and sharp features. They can usually be described as hawkish, although there are those who are more human-like. Even though angels have wings, a Nephilim must earn them, and the more angelic ones have large feathery wings that span up to 12 feet across. They generally look very much like humans, but their movements are more lithe and they have a presence of mind that can affect those around them. 'Strengths' All Nephilim have some degree of magical acuity and a higher potential for magical powers. Their quickness of movement and thought allows them to be potent combatants as well, being able to avoid slower and more powerful attacks altogether. Angels find them more likeable than most of the other races, even if they are not afforded the same respect as a full angel. They thrive in social interactions, especially between various races and people of diferent backgrounds. They can make great leaders. 'Weaknesses' Their lighter bone structure, which is necessary for flight, makes them less durable than other races. Their raw physical power is slightly less than those of similar build as well. No true demon would associate themselves with the spawn of an angel, though they may find amusement in their less than pure attitudes toward life. Nephilim are not prone to violence, and in a violent world, this can be a liability. 'Artificial Intelligence' An A.I. is a humanoid machine that could be considered a person and an individual. They were created for labor and war, but have evolved into something much more. They fought for their freedom with negotions and combat. Now they are treated as equals and contributing members of the society they escaped as slaves. 'Description' Anything that can be considered an Artifical Intelligence must meet two requirements. First it must have a S.E.L.F., a Subconsious Ethical Limitation Function. This program determines what kind of personality each A.I. has and is different for each individual. It is commonly shortened to "Self", and is used in sentences such as "Go figure your Self out." and "I need to look within my Self to determine what is right." Each A.I.'s Self is protected deep within their mind and it is a criminal offense to tamper or destroy an person's Self. The Second part of being an A.I. is the physical body. It is a construct of metals, plastics, synthetic skin, circuitry, and pressure nodes. An A.I. is able to have as many facial expressions as a normal human, and with advances in synthetics, escapes the Uncanny Valley rule. Their body can be modified and changed to suit their needs or desires and, as a race, are at least as varied in appearance as humans. Some have large armor plated bodies, while others have very human looking bodies. When spekaing with an A.I. they have many of the same manerisms that thier creators have. 'Strengths' An A.I. is a fast learner and can retain more knowledge than any of thier biological companions. This gives them an edge in beating human tests and utilizing computers and technology. They are also capable of higher levels of manual dexterity and motion than almost anything else on the planet. Their ability to have heightened sense of eye hand coordination makes them better with ranged weapons, balance, and reaction time. Since an A.I. is made of synthetics and metal, their bodies are highly resistant to damage, either physical or otherwise. Also, if one of their limbs is removed, they will not fall into shock and become useless, instead they can move at operate at peak efficiency at all times. 'Weaknesses' All A.I. are unable detect, cast, or utilize magic in any of its forms. There have been attempts at creating a machine that can manipulate this forbidden knowledge, but it has never been even remotely successful. While this means they are slighlty more resistant to mind altering effects, they also must rely on visual and physical clues to determine where any magical traps may be coming from. This inability does not mean they are unaffected by a bolt of lightning cast from someones fingertips, it means that they are unable to fight it using anything other than their reaction time.